CPA / Financial Steward

The primary goal of this role is to transition the organization's financial management from basic spreadsheets to professional accounting standards. This position is critical for ensuring compliance, financial transparency, and "grant readiness" for the organization.

Responsibilities

• Accounting Standards: Moving current financial data from spreadsheets to professional accounting systems and standards.
• Compliance & Reporting: Supporting the preparation of IRS Form 990.
• Grant Readiness: Ensuring all financial records are audit-ready and meet the requirements of potential grantors.
• Financial Oversight: Strengthening cash flow control and improving financial forecasting to support scaling.
• Strategic Support: Providing senior finance leadership to assist the COO and CEO in making data-driven decisions

Time Commitment

The expected time commitment ranges from 8 to 10 hours per month.

Benefits

Performing the role of CPA / Financial Steward for Transition Trails offers several professional and personal benefits for the individual in the position:

• Impactful Leadership Role: You serve as a senior finance leader, providing critical strategic support to the CEO and COO to drive data-driven organizational decisions.
• System Transformation Experience: This role offers the opportunity to lead a significant transition, moving the organization from basic spreadsheet management to professional, audit-ready accounting standards.
• Mission-Driven Contribution: By ensuring "grant readiness" and compliance (such as IRS Form 990 support), you directly enable the organization to secure funding and scale its impact within the Salesforce training and nonprofit sectors.
• Flexible Engagement: The role is designed for a fractional model, typically requiring 8 to 30 hours per month, enabling a high-level professional contribution with a flexible, part-time commitment.
• Expertise in Specialized Accounting: You gain or apply deep expertise in nonprofit-specific financial requirements, including fund accounting for restricted grants and tracking complex grant life cycles.
• Strategic Visibility: You help address critical organizational challenges, such as managing "margin pressure" and improving "cash visibility," making your contribution highly visible and valuable to leadership.

Qualifications

The qualifications for a CPA / Financial Steward include:

Professional Certifications & Education

• Active CPA License: Essential for providing high-level financial oversight and ensuring the organization meets professional accounting standards.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree: Typically in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.

Technical Experience

• Senior Finance Leadership: Experience acting as a senior leader (such as a CFO) who can provide strategic support to executive leadership (COO/CEO).
• Nonprofit Accounting Expertise: Deep knowledge of nonprofit-specific financial requirements, including IRS Form 990 preparation and fund accounting for restricted and unrestricted grants.
• Systems Transition: Proven ability to migrate financial management from manual spreadsheets to professional, audit-ready accounting systems.

Specialized Skills

• Grant Management: Proficiency in tracking grant life cycles (e.g., from "Submitted" to "Awarded" stages) and integrating these cycles into comprehensive financial reports.
• Financial Strategy: Advanced skills in cash flow forecasting, "cash visibility," and managing "margin pressure" during periods of scaling.
• Audit Readiness: The ability to ensure all financial records are compliant and meet the stringent requirements of potential grantors.

Communication & Soft Skills

• Data-Driven Decision Support: Ability to translate complex financial data into actionable insights for non-financial executives.
• Strategic Collaboration: Experience working alongside operations teams to align financial oversight with organizational growth.